Patents Examined by Danielle Dunn
  • Patent number: 7543969
    Abstract: A headlight for a motor vehicle designed to fulfill several functions, in particular a dual functions. One of the functions is a beam with cut-off, wherein the headlight comprises a light source, a main elliptical reflector having a scalloped part and an optical axis; a main lens disposed in front of the main elliptical reflector; a retractable shield movable between at least one active position for the cut-off beam and a retracted position for another type of beam; a secondary elliptical reflector coupled to the scalloped part of the main elliptical reflector and having a optical axis inclined with respect to that of the main reflector; and an additional lens disposed in front of the secondary elliptical reflector having an optical axis essentially parallel to that of the main lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventor: Sébastien Casanave
  • Patent number: 7540632
    Abstract: A lighting assembly topology that utilizes spectrum controlling materials to render the illumination compatible with night vision imaging systems. The lighting assembly can be used as either a general illumination source or can be used as a backlight for a transmissive display such as a liquid crystal display. The lighting assembly makes use of spectral filtering which is both transmissive and absorptive for specific spectral regions. The exit port of the lighting assembly is completely filtered with a red and near infrared reflective filter. The absorption of the near infrared spectrum to which NVIS are sensitive is reflected by the typical near infrared reflective filter covering the exit port and absorbed within the material lining the housing of the lighting assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Randy M. Maner, Michael R. Praiswater
  • Patent number: 7537360
    Abstract: A color changer, particularly for spotlights, comprising at least one dichroic filter which is adapted to be arranged in front of a light source, a motor for moving the at least one dichroic filter which is adapted to place the dichroic filter at least partially in front of the light source, the color changer further comprising an actuator which is adapted to tilt the dichroic filter with respect to the axis of emission of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Coemar S.p.A.
    Inventor: Fabio Allegri
  • Patent number: 7530721
    Abstract: A backlight device for a display comprising (1) a side-lit light source, (2) a light guide plate and (3) a turning film comprising a light entry and a light exit surface comprising lenticular elements on the exit surface and prismatic structures on the entry surface, wherein the average values of the parameters of the features and the thickness of the film are selected to provide a peak output angle of ±10° from normal to the light exit surface of the light guide plate and an optical gain of at least 1.25. Also disclosed are methods of making the turning film and a display incorporating the backlight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: SKC Haas Display Films Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiang-Dong Mi, Richard D. Bomba, Robert P. Bourdelais, Michael L. Ferranti, Jehuda Greener, Louis P. Harasta, Jr., Herong Lei, Stephen C. Meissner, Steven J. Neerbasch, Robert L. Walton, John M. Palmeri, Tomohiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7510307
    Abstract: A luminaire adapted to being mounted at the top of a post having a design reducing maintenance costs. The luminaire has a capital with a globe mounted thereon forming an optical chamber, the capital has a front access area with a front access door hingedly attached thereto and optionally has a tool-less latch capable of holding the front access door over the front access area. The capital has an opening in a top portion thereof into the optical chamber, optionally, a relamping module extends from the inside of the capital, through the opening and up into a central portion of the optical chamber and has a lamp socket thereon. The relamping module may be removed without manipulation of the globe or globe roof. The luminaire may also have electrical gear within the capital attached to a tray wherein the tray is removably attached to an internal portion of the capital. The globe and globe roof may remain stationary during typical maintenance processes such as relamping or maintenance of electrical gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Genlyte Thomas Group LLC
    Inventor: Eric Haddad
  • Patent number: 7503679
    Abstract: An optical module for a motor vehicle headlight comprising a reflector having an optical axis and at least one focus, a light source placed in the vicinity of the focus to be reflected, and a transparent optical deviation element placed in front of part of the reflector and comprising a lens referred to as a “square lens”, the reflector being placed at the rear of the lens, the optical deviation element being able to provide an essentially horizontal spread of the light. The exit face of the “square lens”is tangent to a plane disposed obliquely with respect to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventor: Vincent Godbillon
  • Patent number: 7494252
    Abstract: The invention generally comprises a compact luminaire enclosure that preferably contains about 14 to 18 cubic inches of air volume and can be used safely with a 50 watt luminaire. The luminaire enclosure comprises a housing and a shroud that is removably attached to the housing. The shroud has a non-planar face that prevents the shroud from laying flat and trapping heat if the enclosure is placed on or falls on a flat surface. The housing can comprise polyetherimide, which has very good heat dissipation properties. The shroud may also comprise polyetherimide. The compact luminaire enclosure of the invention further comprises an internal thermal lamp shield recessed within the housing. The internal thermal lamp shield comprises highly specular material so that it is able to reflect much of the heat coming from an enclosed luminaire. In one embodiment of the invention, the luminaire comprises anodized aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Genlyte Thomas Group LLC
    Inventors: Gerry F. Thornton, Matthew S. Pressel, James Hickman, Jesse Wojtkowiak, Gary E. Kehr, Richard A. Groft, William H. Doron, Jr., Kimberly A. Renner, Justin M. Walker, Brian Breckenridge, Lew Waltz
  • Patent number: 7494234
    Abstract: A polarizer includes a first prism plate having a plurality of first micro-prisms; a polarizing film formed on surfaces of the first micro-prisms; and a second prism plate having a plurality of second micro-prisms, the micro-prisms of the first prism plate and the micro-prisms of the second prism plate meshed with each other and integrated the polarizing film therebetween, the polarizing film being in direct contact with the first prism plate and the second prism plate. Furthermore, a method for manufacturing the polarizer and a backlight module using the polarizer is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jen-Tsorng Chang
  • Patent number: 7481547
    Abstract: A functional umbrella hub for an outdoor umbrella having a plurality of awning arms and a connector head electrically extended from a power source, wherein the functional umbrella hub includes a functional appliance, a hub body, and a functional hub. The hub body has a plurality of hinges for respectively coupling with the awning arms in a radially extending manner and an interior cavity for the connector head disposing therein. The functional hub has a speaker compartment and an audio outlet, wherein the functional appliance is built-in with the functional hub that the speaker is securely supported within the speaker compartment at the audio outlet such that the functional umbrella hub is adapted for not only operatively incorporating with the outdoor umbrella via the hub body but also providing the additional function for the outdoor umbrella via the functional hub to enhance a practical use thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Inventor: Wanda Ying Li
  • Patent number: 7478929
    Abstract: A backlight unit suitable to prevent color separation phenomenon of LED lamps is disclosed. The backlight unit includes a bottom cover, a printed circuit board attached to an inner upper surface of the bottom cover, a plurality of LED lamps mounted on an upper surface of the printed circuit board to extend in a direction, and a reflecting plate having a plurality of holes to expose light emitting portions of the LED lamps, respectively, the holes having a tapered side section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: LG. Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nam Su Kim
  • Patent number: 7476003
    Abstract: A surface light source device having LED clusters arranged in a matrix of rows and columns on a board. Each of the LED clusters includes red, green and blue LEDs arranged in a triangle. The LED clusters are grouped into A, E, C and D, which have the red LEDs located top, right, bottom and left, respectively, from a center of the triangle. The matrix of the LED clusters includes alternating first and second type rows arranged repeatedly from top to bottom of the matrix, terminating with the second type row. The first type rows each have first type cluster arrays of the LED clusters arranged in a repeating order of E, C, D and C from left to right. The second type rows each have second type cluster arrays of the LED clusters arranged in a repeating order of A, D, A and D from left to right.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Bum Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 7452118
    Abstract: Area light source 10 used for LCD device 1 includes light guide 12 and LED devices 18 and 19 disposed at a side portion of light guide 12. A light receiving portion at a side edge portion of light guide 12 is provided with prisms 24 and 25 of saw-tooth prism group 22. Apex angles of prisms 24 and 25 are set to be more acute up to the middle point of prisms 24 and 25 as prisms 24 and 25 are farther from LED devices 18 and 19, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenshi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 7438457
    Abstract: An input shaft for a lamp adjuster is disclosed. The input shaft includes a top portion and bottom portion. The top portion and bottom portion can move axially relative to one another such that the input shaft can have a plurality of different lengths. The input shaft can also include a clutching feature. An adjuster and lamp assembly including an input shaft according to the present invention are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Asyst Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John Whynott
  • Patent number: 7431466
    Abstract: A solar simulator combines mercury lamps and halogen lamps, to improve upon conventional solar simulators using halogen and infrared lamps which cannot recreate an environment close to that under real sunlight, and upon solar simulators using expensive and fragile metal halide lamps and arc xenon lamps. An environment recreation laboratory for solar simulation includes a lamp bank mounted at an upper portion thereof and including a plurality of halogen lamps, halogen filter lamps being halogen lamps provided with an infrared filter, respectively, and mercury lamps. A temperature control unit includes a cooling unit that discharges air to cool the lamp bank, and an air conditioner that distributes the air discharged by the cooling unit. An electrical panel controls operations of the lamp bank and the temperature control unit, such that an environment within the environment recreation laboratory may very closely simulate the environment under real sunlight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Agency for Defense Development
    Inventors: Jae-Myung Lee, Gun-Young Park, Sang-Hwa Baek, Jeong-Yong Lee, Gil-Sang Nam, Sang-Hoon Kim, Baek-Hee Jeong
  • Patent number: 7425078
    Abstract: A rotating beacon including a plurality of light emitting diodes and a plurality of reflectors is disclosed. The light emitting diodes are attached to one or more printed circuit boards mounted on a base. The reflectors gather light from the light emitting diodes into a plurality of beams which are directed away from the base. A motor and shaft assembly rotates a mirror element. The mirror element is arranged to reflect the beams into a horizontal plane of the rotating beacon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Electronic Controls Company
    Inventors: Dean A. Wilkinson, Earl E. Esson
  • Patent number: 7416322
    Abstract: A vehicle light emitting device including a light emitting element, a primary reflector, and a secondary reflector. A reflecting surface of the primary reflector has a shape of a substantially dome-shaped body of revolution formed by rotating about the optical axis Ax an ellipse E which has a primary focal point F1 which is a point near the light emitting element and a secondary focal point F2 which is a point near the reflecting surface. The primary reflector includes a belt-shaped region, which straddles a ring-shaped locus of the secondary focal point F2 and is configured as a light translucent portion, whereby reflected light from the primary reflector is caused to temporarily converge on the secondary focal point F2 in each cross-section of the body of revolution including the optical axis Ax and is thereafter caused to be incident on the secondary reflector as a diffused light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidetada Tanaka, Motohiro Komatsu
  • Patent number: 7413330
    Abstract: A proposed backlight is suitable for a large size liquid crystal display. A backlight 2 for illuminating a liquid crystal panel 3 from the rear, is formed by combining a plurality of backlight units 10, 10, . . . By providing a transparent acrylic board 4 between the backlight 2 and the liquid crystal panel 3, it becomes possible to prevent brightness unevenness from occurring at a junction section of the backlight units 10, 10, . . . , even when the backlight is formed by combining the plurality of the backlight units 10, 10, . . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Norimasa Furukawa
  • Patent number: 7407310
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp 1 including a projection lens 16 installed on the optical axis Ax extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle a light source 12a provided behind the rear side focal point F of the projection lens 16, and a reflector 14 that reflects direct light from the light source 12a forward and toward the optical axis Ax; and in this headlamp, an additional lens 30, which deflects and directs light from the light source 12a to the front is provided around the outer perimeter of the projection lens 16, and grooves 33, which have side faces that direct at least a part of the incident light toward the side of the vehicle, are formed in the outer surface of the additional lens 30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Motohiro Komatsu
  • Patent number: 7399102
    Abstract: A portable self contained light generating device which is powered by a flow of granular material falling under the influence of gravity to impinge upon and cause a paddle wheel to rotate thereby turning a small generator producing electricity to power one or more light emitting diodes for illumination. The device equipped with a multi-position power/illumination control switch and in some embodiments also provided with a battery providing supplemental power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Inventor: James E. Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7393127
    Abstract: A light-guiding structure including a plurality of light pipes, a plurality of connecting portions and a fixing socket is provided. The light pipes are disposed on the fixing socket, and the light pipes are connected together by the connecting portions. At least one to-be-destroyed portion is formed between the connecting portions. In addition, the fixing socket has at least one destructive structure for disconnecting the connecting portions from each other by destroying the to-be-destroyed portion. Therefore, the interference caused by the light wave passing through the connecting piece is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Inventec Corporation
    Inventor: Chia-Ju Ho